Archive for 2008

Again here are the download numbers, from download.opensuse.org. If you don’t know, in the first 30 hours after the release we are redirecting the traffic to akamai instead to the mirror servers. So what had we this time?

Total downloads: 172 TB!

Ok, i though we can hit the 200TB barrier, but thats still pretty good. No, it’s awesome :-)

After all it was again a very successfull release. Thank you all for helping us with it, even it was rather short before Christmas this time.

BTW: because of some “everything has to be done before Christmas” stuff, the contributor gifts are a little bit late this release. But on the other hand it’s something really special this time :-) …over and out, see you again in January :-)

The first version of the openSUSE-Education Add-on is drawing to a close. By releasing the final version for SUSE Linux Enterprise 10 and the first Release Candidate for 11.1, we hopefully have the first community Add-On media which is available for each (open)SUSE Release, soon!

The only thing left to reach this great goal: fix the last bugs for the openSUSE 11.1 release!

So please help us releasing a bugfree openSUSE-Education release 1.0 for 11.1 in the next days by testing and reporting bugs in our bugzilla. (Note: The next release should be the final one for 11.1 – and the completion of our 1.0 version.)

You can either use our Online-Repository by adding it via the “Community-Repositories” Section in YaST or via the “Add-on”-YaST module – or use the ISO-Image (2.6GB) as “non online” version. Both contain the same packages.

The RC1 release contains a lot of package updates (and fixes) – a complete Changelog for all packages is available in the root-directory of our installation source. There are still 10 packages left in the Build ServiceÂ which needs fixes to build for 11.1 – hopefully we get them fixed soon enough for the final release.

openSUSE 11.1 continues a long history of shipping a well-polished KDE. This release includes not just one, but two choices of KDE. You can choose from the leading edge of KDE development with KDE 4.1.3, or the classic KDE experience with KDE 3.5.10.

What’s new in KDE 4.1.3?

The KDE Project has included a lot of great improvements in the KDE 4.1 series. This release brings back the much-loved KDE-PIM suite, with KMail, KOrganizer, Akregator, and much more.

The Dolphin file manager has also been revamped for the 4.1 series, and includes support for tabs, and new context actions make using Dolphin even easier! Just right-click on a file and you can select copy and Move actions without having to drag files around.

Old habits die hard, long-time KDE users don’t have to stop using Konqueror for file management if they prefer the Konqueror interface! And, if Konqueror is your choice of Web browser, you’ll be pleased to find one of the improvements is that you can now Undo closed tabs. Didn’t mean to close that Konqueror tab? Just go to Edit -> Undo and you can get back to that Web page with no hassle.

And both Dolphin and Konqueror have “Super User Mode” menu entries, so you can handle file management as root without any hassles.

For browsing the world, you’ve got Marble. Marble is a “desktop globe” application for viewing the world. In 4.1, Marble includes support for OpenStreetMap, so you can browse free (as in speech) maps.

Don’t like a cluttered desktop? Then you’ll love the Folder View plasmoid that confines all those messy files to one organized view. No more disorganized desktop! (On the computer. Your physical desktop is still your problem.)

openSUSE Enhancements

In addition to all the features found in KDE 4.1.3, openSUSE 11.1 includes openSUSE-specific artwork, and a number of features that have been backported from the 4.2 series.

Of particular interest are the KWin improvements in this release. openSUSE users now have a number of backported KWin effects to enjoy, and show off to their friends. If KWin effects aren’t your cup of tea, you can use the new Compiz KDE configuration module to enable and handle Compiz on KDE 4.

The desktop toolbox has been disabled by default due to concerns about its usability. Want to re-enable it? No problem. Just right click on the desktop, select the drop-down box next to Desktop Activity, and enable “Default desktop containment.”

The Plasma desktop shell has several improvements, including the ability to auto-hide the panel, and you can enable overlap between windows and the panel, if you enjoy that sort of thing.

This release also includes Powerdevil, for easier and better power management on your KDE 4 desktop. Just click the battery icon in the system tray.

This release also marks a move to PackageKit for updates. In openSUSE 11.0, GNOME switched to using PackageKit for updates. With 11.1, the KDE Updater Applet has switched from the zypp backed to use PackageKit as well.

(In the spirit of late being better than “never,” this peek is being published after the 11.1 announcement, but we still think it will be useful to users who haven’t tried KDE 4 in 11.1.)

The openSUSE Project is proud to announce the release of openSUSE 11.1. The openSUSE 11.1 release includes more than 230 new features, improvements to YaST, major updates to GNOME, KDE, OpenOffice.org, and more freedom with a brand new license, Liberation fonts, and openJDK. This is also the first release built entirely in the openSUSE Build Service.

All of the Sneak Peeks for this release are available at on openSUSE News. You can also find a bevy of screenshots, and a list of features found in openSUSE 11.1. You can also find a lengthy list of packages and version numbers on DistroWatch.

Let’s take a look at some of the specific additions in openSUSE 11.1!

On the Desktop

Desktop users will find a lot to like in this release. Users can choose from the leading edge of GNOME and KDE development with GNOME 2.24.1 and KDE 4.1.3. We’ve also included KDE 3.5.10 for users who prefer the classic KDE experience.

What’s new in GNOME 2.24.1?

GNOME has gotten a good set of improvements since the 11.0 release. GNOME 2.24.1 features tabbed browsing and a new compact view in Nautilus, improvements for Gmail users in Evolution, along with mail templates, a new version of Ekiga, and additional improvements in F-Spot.

This release also includes a brand-new release of the ever-popular Banshee. Banshee 1.4 sports support for Internet radio, compilation albums, a Now Playing window for video and audio, support for syncing to Android phones, and many other features that make Banshee an excellent multimedia player for the Linux desktop.

What’s new in KDE 4.1.3?

KDE 4 has a huge number of improvements since openSUSE 11.0. In this release you’ll find the KDE-PIM suite back in KDE 4, new games, the KSCD CD player, KSystemLog to keep track of system changes, improvements to Dolphin, Konqueror, and Marble integration with OpenStreetMap. KDE has now standardized on PackageKit for its backend, which means both desktops are using the same update stack.

The openSUSE KDE team has also backported some key features from KDE 4.2, including compositing features for KWin to provide more desktop effects, and auto-hiding of the panel, and power management thanks to PowerDevil.

Classic KDE

If you’re not quite ready to make the transition to KDE 4, relax. openSUSE 11.1 includes KDE 3.5.10 for the “classic” KDE experience. Simply install openSUSE 11.1 from the DVD media and choose KDE 3.5.10 from the selection of other window managers in the desktop selection screen.

OpenOffice.org

This release includes OpenOffice.org 3.0, which features many improvements over the 2.4 release found in openSUSE 11.0. OpenOffice.org 3.0 Novell edition provides better Excel interoperability, performance enhancements, 3D slide transitions, and other features not found in upstream OpenOffice.org.

This release also includes support for ODF 1.2, import filters for OOXML, Gstreamer and Mono integration, and a lot more. For developers, this is the first release that includes the split build, making it easier to work on components of OpenOffice.org and get involved in its development.

Under the Hood

openSUSE 11.1 also includes several changes “under the hood,” including a new kernel release, updated Glibc, new version of PackageKit, Smolt integration, and many other updated applications and utilities:

Linux 2.6.27.7

Glibc 2.9

Python 2.6

Perl 5.10

Mono 2.0

YaST Improvements

The YaST team has been busy with this release, working on a number of improvements including new and re-written modules. openSUSE 11.1 includes a new printer module, redesigned partitioner module, and a security module that allows you to check the overall security of your system.

Media and Download

openSUSE is now available for immediate download. openSUSE 11.1 comes with many choices of installation media.

openSUSE 11.1 DVD 32-bit

openSUSE 11.1 DVD 64-bit

openSUSE 11.1 DVD PowerPC

openSUSE 11.1 GNOME 32-bit Live CD

openSUSE 11.1 KDE 4 32-bit Live CD

openSUSE 11.1 GNOME 64-bit Live CD

openSUSE 11.1 KDE 4 64-bit Live CD

You can also purchase a retail box with openSUSE 11.1 that includes 90-day installation support, physical media, and a printed Getting Started guide.

Thanks!

openSUSE 11.1 represents the combined effort of thousands of developers who participate in openSUSE and upstream projects shipped in openSUSE. The contributors, inside and outside the openSUSE Project, should be proud of this release, and they deserve a major “thank you” for all of the hard work and care that have gone into 11.1. We hope that openSUSE 11.1 is the best openSUSE release yet, and that it will help to encourage the use of Linux everywhere! We hope that you have a lot of fun while you use openSUSE 11.1, and we look forward to working with you on 11.2!

Tomorrow is the big day! So some might wonder what exactly will happen … Basically we turn on the headless chicken mode and waiting that our servers will melt away :-)

Not this time! ™. The plan is to release openSUSE 11.1 at 14:00 CET (13:00 GMT) . We added 3 quadcore servers to the wiki farm and Peter tweaked the configuration. Anyway, even with the new servers you should not go to the wiki to download it or wait for the announcement.

Why? The server can handle the load quite well as we saw in the last release, and if you download it in the first 30 hours from software.o.o you should get an akamai mirror which is really fast. If this is not working, which I doubt, please read the article Peter wrote on lizards.o.o.

And after the release? Install it, tell friends about it! Blog, digg it, whatever you can do to make this the most awesome release ever!

Don’t forget the release parties; if there is not one in your area, I will try to stream some videos from ours. I try, because I’m quite sick and I’m not even sure if I can attend our party :-(

There is also a facebook event; if you attend a party, or make your own private one alone, post some pictures or videos.

So what is the other good sign? Some people already have the box, thanks Salid for the picture!

It’s alive! In an effort to bring another joy of contributing to the openSUSE distribution a new team, process and package repository just recently saw the light of day: openSUSE:Contrib

The openSUSE:Contrib repository is an extension of the openSUSE distribution. The goal is simple: making maintainership of packages in the openSUSE distribution possible for everyone. Currently with openSUSE Factory it is “only” possible to do code-contribution in the form of patches sent through the collaboration features of the openSUSE Build Service. While that is fine it is missing an important motivation bit: responsibility. Having responsibility for a piece of software inside a Linux distribution is a demanding but rewarding task and it is also the one task that is essential to the whole distribution business because that’s what a distribution is, a collection of packages. No matter if you create a nice desktop wallpaper or hack on a system service, if you want it to end up on the distribution you have to squeeze it into a package and use the whole process around that. With openSUSE:Contrib it is now possible for everyone to do that for the openSUSE distributions. So if you have experience in RPM packaging and you miss a piece of software in the openSUSE distribution join the openSUSE:Contrib team to scratch that itch. For starters you should read the openSUSE:Contrib wiki page and subscribe yourself to the openSUSE:Contrib mailing list. See you around!

In our continuing series of Sneak Peeks at openSUSE 11.1, we’re introducing the newest version of the GNOME desktop into openSUSE. openSUSE 11.1 will contain the latest version of the GNOME desktop, GNOME 2.24. Not only does this new version bring with it great new features, but as always the GNOME developers in the openSUSE Project have added our own unique polish to make a truly unique, polished desktop experience.

New in GNOME 2.24

As always, a new version of GNOME means new features and enhancements that make using your computer easier. Many times, they’re small features that once you start using them, you can’t live without. One example is the new tabbed browsing in Nautilus, the file browser.

Communication

openSUSE 11.1’s GNOME Desktop includes some of the latest and greatest in communication and organization tools in Evolution, Pidgin, and Ekiga. The newest version of Evolution contains new functionality to make anyone who sends out many similar emails a day, or those who are fans of Google’s online communication tools very happy.

Evolution can now save mail as templates. Need to have a simple, standard message to send out to contacts who all ask the same question? Or do you want a standard message to send to new clients? Either way, you’ll find a use for this handy feature.

Living in the Gmail universe, but don’t want to lose the safety and speed of having a desktop client? Now with Evolution, your Evolution Address Book can be synchronized with Google Contacts, meaning you now have the full range of Google support: Gmail through IMAP mail support, Google Calendar which synchronizes with your Evolution Calendar, and now contacts synchronization support.

Frequent instant messengers will be happy to see that the new version of Pidgin, our multi-network instant messaging and chat client, is included.

Pidgin can connect to all of your different instant messaging clients and social networks, including AIM, MSN/Windows Live, Yahoo! IM, and MySpace Chat. Pidgin also serves as an IRC chat client, through which community support for openSUSE can be received.

What to talk with your friends or family by voice or face-to-face? Meet Ekiga, the openSUSE Internet telephony client.

With Ekiga, a compatible microphone or webcam, and an SIP account (all of which can be set up upon first running Ekiga), talking to your friends, family, or colleagues is easy and free if they’re also using a SIP client. With an appropriate SIP call out plan, you can make affordable voice calls over the normal phone system, right from your computer!

Entertainment and Multimedia

When the work is done, it’s time to play! openSUSE 11.1’s GNOME contains some of the best multimedia playing and building applications available, from Banshee, our state-of-the-art music player; to Brasero, an innovative DVD and CD burning application which enables you to make videos from your computer burn on a DVD to share with friends and family; to F-Spot, an amazing yet amazingly simple photo organizer.

openSUSE’s Banshee Media Player is incredibly powerful, yet dead-simple to use. Bring over music from another operating system, a CD collection, or an MP3 player, and Banshee will catalog and apply cover art to them all. Organize and enjoy your movies with the video playback features. Stay up to date and entertained with your favorite audio and video podcasts, or listen to one of many streaming radio stations available. You can even discover new music with Last.fm, a music social network that’s built right in to Banshee.

Several new features are available in Banshee in openSUSE 11.1. Banshee now supports compilation albums. So whether it’s the greatest hits of the ’90s or the soundtrack to your favorite movie, Banshee now recognizes and correctly organizes compilation albums.

The developers of Banshee have taken special attention to the look and feel of Banshee. One of the areas this is most noticeable is the new Now Playing window. Although this pane is meant for showing videos, new in Banshee is that when playing audio, this window displays the album cover and song/show information, making it perfect for parties so your friends can see what’s playing.

Banshee also now supports Internet Radio. The application comes pre-installed with dozens of stations already, ranging from all spectrums of music to talk. Want to add more? As long as the Internet radio stream you wish to add has a compatible stream, it’s as simple as a click of the mouse in Banshee.

Managing photos on openSUSE is easy and fun with F-Spot, the photo manager. With F-Spot, you can browse your photo collection by date or tags, and making basic photo corrections is a snap. You can even export your photos to Internet photo websites, such as Flickr, Picasa, or SmugMug. F-Spot is also extend-able, with extensions written to make F-Spot even more powerful or more useful, such as an extension to export photos to Facebook. These are easily installed with just a few clicks of the mouse.

F-Spot in openSUSE 11.1 features a redesigned user interface, giving easy access and better descriptions to the photo editing tools, as well as easier access to photo metadata information in the sidebar.

Every now and then, you may have had duplicate photos show up in your library. What’s more annoying than that? Having to delete each one, one by one. Now, not only does F-Spot prevent duplicate photos by detecting duplicates upon importing new photos, but with a click of a mouse, F-Spot will analyze your entire photo library for duplicates and eliminate them.

You’ve got music, video, and photos on your computer. But what if you want to take them off your computer once in a while? With Brasero, the CD/DVD burning utility, it’s as easy as can be, and is included in openSUSE!

With Brasero you can save movies on DVDs to watch on your TV, save songs and other audio shows on CDs to play in the car, or burn ISO images onto discs.

Finally, when it’s just time to have fun, there’s Cheese. Cheese is a webcam studio app that, with a compatible webcam, allows you to take pictures or videos of yourself and your friends.

With Cheese, you can apply special effects to the pictures or video, and make a funny video to upload to YouTube or other video sharing website. You can even apply multiple effects, to create a unique image!

Configuration Improvements

openSUSE 11.1 features several new improvements for the GNOME desktop’s administration and configuration, including further YaST integration with GNOME, setting up 3G cellular data connections, and more.

YaST Integration Improvements

Even with the improving integration of YaST into GNOME, YaST has still remained with the same button and UI structure of it’s KDE counterpart, which doesn’t exactly match GNOME. With openSUSE 11.1, YaST has been given a visual refresh. Now, at the top of every YaST screen is a short description of what the YaST module does, with a link to getting further help. The buttons have also been relabeled so they match the GNOME standard, meaning YaST now truly looks at home on the GNOME desktop!

Cellular Broadband Connectivity

Since openSUSE 11.0, openSUSE has been able to easily connect to cellular broadband networks (with the correct card installed in the computer). This continues for openSUSE 11.1, with NetworkManager handling the connectivity. So connecting to cell networks is nearly as simple as connecting to a WiFi hotspot.

Multi-monitor Support

Another feature that has been in openSUSE for a while is the great multi-monitor support. With a simple applet and automatic configuration of extra monitors, using more than one monitor in openSUSE 11.1 is as simple as can be.

New Login

openSUSE 11.1 includes a revamped login screen for GNOME. Simply click on your name, and enter your pasword. No more having to remember and type both usernames and passwords, it’s a simple process. Plus, access accessibility and multi-monitor settings right from the login screen, making the experience more open to everyone. In addition, the background in the login screen is time sensitive: if it’s midnight where you are, your screen is a pleasant dark color. If it’s high noon, you’re in for a bright login!

Counting Down the Days

With only days to go until openSUSE 11.1 is released and you can try these features for yourself, so get ready! Plus, there are more Sneak Peeks coming in the next few days, so stay tuned to openSUSE News for all things openSUSE!